Tell People What You Want To Do & What You Can Do

Tell People What You Want To Do

I hear from young people who are looking for their first jobs, and they often say something like, "I love entertainment; I want to do anything in entertainment."

A broad statement like that is not helpful for your job search. 

It’s understandable; the working world is wide and exciting, and there are many directions you could go. Maybe you don’t know what you want and truly are open to exploring and learning. But the problem is it doesn’t help people help you.

Specificity Will Help Others Help You

Here's the key: tell people exactly what you want to do and what you can bring to the table.

Instead of saying, "I want to work in entertainment," try something like: "I want to work at a company like Disney in out-of-home marketing for their animated movies. I have been building my skills in Photoshop and I have been studying early Norse art."

There are several reasons why specificity is helpful:

• Focuses Your Search: When you're clear about your goals, you can explore on your job safari more effectively. 

• Makes Networking More Productive: The more specific you are, the easier it is for people in your network to connect you with relevant opportunities. 

• Highlights Your Skills: Mentioning specific skills you possess showcases your value. Value helps people make those connections for you.

You may think, but this is so limiting. “I don’t want to work at just Disney. I don’t have to work in only marketing.”

But it’s actually way worse to say broad statements like, “anything in entertainment” when networking with people in entertainment. I know hundreds of people in entertainment. From lawyers to marketers, to literal clowns. Let’s say I connected you with a lawyer, a marketer, and a clown - are you making real progress in your entertainment job search? Unlikely.

I understand that feeling that you don’t want to pin yourself down. But by using specificity, you’re creating touchpoints for more powerful associations. If someone knows the perfect person at Dreamworks who aligns with what you need, they’re not going to clam up and not tell you because you said “Disney.”

When I hear,  "I want to work at a company like Disney in out-of-home marketing for their animated movies. I have been building my skills in Photoshop and I have been studying early Norse art.” I see these points of potential connection for you:

• Disney (and related companies)

• Out-of-home

• Marketing

• Animated movies

• Photoshop

• Norse Art

These give me relevant types of connections to make for you.

Broad Answers Don’t Get You Far

Maybe you're worried that by being specific, you're closing yourself off to other possibilities. That's not the case! Specificity is a starting point, not a dead end. Think of it as a way to build a foundation for jumping off points. Your goals will evolve as you gain experience and learn more about the industry. That's perfectly fine! You can always adjust your focus as you go.

Highlight Your Skills and Interests

It may not be obvious to you in the moment, or you may feel like your skills aren’t a big deal. But telling people a little about them can help them make connections.

I had an intern who was good at math; I remembered; I gave her some mathy assignments; she was valuable, and it made it a little easier to imagine helping her out down the road.

I know someone who got a sweet entry-level job because they spoke Japanese and the company did business in Japan.

Tell people about what you can do! It’s not bragging, it’s highlighting how you can help. As time goes on, you’ll get better at specifying how your skills can be applied to the people you’re talking to.

What if You Don't Know Exactly What You Want?

(this probably warrants a longer post, should I do that? months later, I started that here.)

That's okay! Here are some tips to get you started:

• Explore Your Interests: What companies do you love their product? What companies have you heard align with your vision of the working world? Ask people who know you where they could see you working.

• Do Some Informational Interviews: Talk to people who work in various fields. Ask them about their careers and what they find fulfilling; ask them what they find boring. Get a sense and adapt.

• Volunteer or Take Online Courses: Gain experience in areas that interest you. Volunteering at a film festival or taking an online coding course can help you develop relevant skills and clarify your interests.

Creating Your Dream Job Action Plan

Once you have a better idea of what you're looking for, create a "dream job" action plan. This plan should include two key aspects:

• What You Want: 

  • List the types of companies or organizations you'd like to work for (e.g., Disney, Warner Music Group, a boutique marketing agency, an education technology company). 

  • Figure Out The Job Function you’d like to do. E.g. Marketing, legal, business development, people and org, and finance.

  • Specify a product you’d like to work on

• What You Can Do: Identify the skills and experiences that make you a valuable candidate. 

  • This can include technical skills, soft skills, and even unexpected skills like language fluency (think of the intern who helped with math!).

  • Think about the part of group projects that you take on instinctively.

  • Ask friends, colleagues, and mentors, what are things that only you can do.

Craft Your Pitch

Play around with your dream job action plan until you can articulate it in a clear and concise way. Aim for a sentence or two that you can use when someone asks you, "What are you looking for?" Here's two quick examples:

“I'm passionate about education and technology, and I'd love to use my storytelling skills to develop engaging VR/AR experiences that make learning STEM subjects fun and interactive for middle school students at an EdTech company on the cutting edge of the field.”

“I'm an enthusiastic undergraduate with a passion for conservation and education.  My dream job would be to work with a non-profit or wildlife organization, developing engaging public outreach campaigns to raise awareness about environmental issues.  I have strong communication skills and enjoy connecting with people of all age.”

Adapt As You Go

The further you get into these career conversions, the more you may add, remove, or totally change little parts or every part of your pitch.

Maybe you’re going to talk to someone at a specific company, and it’s worth honing your ask to be more specific to them.

This is a starting point, but it’ll get you so much further than being a blank canvas.